If you’re sharing a kitchen with family, boyfriend/girlfriend or housemates, you are bound to have some disagreements, not just over cooking methods or types of food, but over where and how things are kept, or perhaps, not kept. Much like a marriage, co-existing with another person in the same space requires patience and compromise. And sometimes, it’s really about being practical and using common sense so that there’s some measure of hygiene and organisation in the kitchen.
Lost that peeler
Do you have a favourite fruit/vegetable peeler that you keep aside? You probably have a few others kept somewhere, but it’s that particular one that’s special to you as it’s sharp, cuts smoothly and has the right feel in your hands. You assume it’s right there in the drawer when you need it, but when you’re smack in the middle of preparing a dish, you cannot find that peeler because whoever used it last didn’t bother to put it back in its proper place! That’s super annoying!
Empty milk boxes
People who put almost empty, or worse, empty milk boxes back in the fridge, ought never be allowed to drink milk again! These are probably the same people who leave that one last small bite of snacks or biscuits inside containers or packets and put them back in the cupboard. It isn’t clear whether it’s sheer laziness as they don’t want to be the one to discard the empty packet or wash the container, or that they like playing mean tricks on others looking for snacks.
Dirty kitchen sink
In communal living, while it’s great that someone volunteers to do the dishes, it’s not nice nor reasonable to leave behind bits of half-eaten food, fish bones and whatnot in the kitchen sink. You really wonder what goes on in their minds and why they won’t take that one last step of clearing food waste from the sink before finishing up!
Wipe the table
No matter how carefully you eat from a plate, sometimes you can’t help but get crumbs on the table. Just give the table a decent wipe when you’re done eating, as no one likes your leftover crumbs and other bits of food on the table. It’s a dirty habit and bound to attract flies!
That last pot
Do you know someone who washes the dishes, but always leaves behind that one last pot? The most common reason: “Oh, it needs a good soak for the stuff that’s stuck to get loose.” Sometimes that’s true, but more often than not, it’s just a lazy excuse as they don’t want to wash that big unwieldy pot!
Dirty coffee cup
A lot of people need that cup of coffee to wake up in the morning, sometimes one in the afternoon, or even throughout the day. But some people like to leave their coffee cups in the hall, on the dining table, in the bedroom...in fact, everywhere except the kitchen sink. Do you not think how it’s miraculous that it somehow always manages to find its way to the dishwasher/sink, get cleaned and is back on the shelf ready for you to make the next cup? Let’s stop picking up cups around the house altogether, and see what happens!
Leaving food uncovered
In Asia, more so in tropical homes than cold climate countries, there are always tiny critters lurking around – filthy flies, slimy cicak (lizards), and other bugs as well. While some households are lucky that flies don’t get into their kitchen, even the solitary one that lands on your food may cause tummy problems. Yet, some people can just get up and leave the dining table when they’re done eating, without bothering to pack up the leftovers on the table. Just cover the food, will you? That’s why we have tudung saji (food covers) in attractive colours and different sizes.
Wipe the stove
This happens when you have a group of people living together – a family or bunch of housemates. Somebody is in charge of cleaning up, and that’s carried out well enough. But then, nobody remembers to wipe the stove. Cleaning up is about keeping work spaces clean, and that includes wiping down oil splatters and gravy splashes as well as the wall next to the stove too! Or did you “accidentally” forget ... like all the time?
